I like to call this room “Listen to Lena! Control Central“.
It’s my home office: the place where ideas take shape, blog posts are written, and bills are paid. I also spend a lot of time on UsMagazine.com.
Having an upstairs study is my favourite use of a spare bedroom. I can stay close by while the boys are napping, and since I like to be cozy at all times, it sure beats hunkering down in the basement. Plus, I’m an authentic daydreamer, so having a window to gaze out of is a definite bonus ;)
Our previous study was located in one of the bigger bedrooms over the garage; it has seen been transformed to Ryder’s bedroom. We had originally chosen a large room because I also needed an area for scrapbooking (a now defunct hobby). One we scaled back and organized ourselves a bit, I realized that our new office would be perfected suited to “Bedroom #3” – Ryder’s old play room.
Peeling off the colourful stickers and saying goodbye to the paint – a bright yellow called “Tigger’s Tummy” – was definitely hard. Ryder had some good times in his little room! But as we’ve since finished our basement, and he’s now got a little playmate to run around with, Ryder was anyways spending less and less time in the play room.
BEFORE
AFTER
Paint:
PARA Paints, Swim Trunks #P5158-34
NOTES
My husband picked the colour in this room – he had a clear notion of what an “office” should look like. Therefore we went for a very unflashy bluish grey. I’ve once again attached a paint chip as my camera has pulled mostly grey off the walls, whereas in person, I actually see more blue than grey.
We relocated the floral painting which you may remember originally hung over our bed to inject some friendliness into an otherwise crisp room. I reserved the opposite wall for my mammoth whiteboard, which aims to keep me (somewhat) organized. (Sorry! Had to airbrush over the upcoming giveaways as I don’t want to spoil the surprise!)
With the addition of my two beloved HP printers (the B8350 prints on sheets up to 12×12″ – a must for scrapbookers) and the eStation (review to follow!)… plus my desktop and laptop… I LOVE my new office!
It looks so nice! You can really create in there now!
It's so bittersweet watching our children grow up, isn't it? We want them to grow and change and mature, and yet, we don't! The room looks really nice, very clean and uncluttered. How do you do that? It's amazing. I like the color, too.
Very nice! Where did you get the desk? Sleek.
LOVE that pic of Ryder, what a little cutie! And I remember you posting pics of the playroom when you first decorated it. A perfect playroom for a busy little boy. It must have broke your heart to say goodbye to it, but the new office space is gorgeous! A perfect calming colour for gathering your thoughts and ideas. Very modern but also comforting, a perfect balance :) Great job! Can I hire you?
oh so sad to give up that bit of childhood. I can't believe my baby is 5 now!!! eek!! the picture looks perfect in this new blue room
What a transformation, bitter sweet I'm sure :)
@~she~ – thanks doll!@dannyscotland – I was practically in tears tearing down the playroom. The room stays clean and uncluttered for exactly four minutes. Once the pictures are taken, the insane clutter takes over ;)@Anonymous – I pushed two Ikea tables together! From the VIKA AMON/ VIKA CURRY line.@Shauna – You can hire me! BUT, only if I can hire YOU to come cook for my family! xo@MVTB – Five ALREADY? OMG, how time flies! And yeah, I think the pic was made for this room.@Tracy D – indeed, luv.
Love your office!! I am looking forward to the day when I can have my own office to do my work.. it will be a dream :)
@Tara – it makes blogging so much easier, for sure! xo
Hi Lena,I had asked about the desks – really appreciate you answering with the Ikea line. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the tables with the same legs – the A-line legs in silver. Did you mix & match or did they come that way?Thanks!
@Anon – Okay I just did a little bit of investigation and I was wrong the first time (so sorry!) – I thought the desks were VIKA because those were the ones I was originally interested in. But I just got down on all fours and looked under the desks (LOL) and they both say GALANT.Then I checked the Ikea website and they are still there – the links don't seem to work when I copy and paste them but rest assured if you search for them you'll find them. You can also select A-leg or T-leg.Sorry for the confusion, I assumed we purchased the VIKA but obviously it was the other line! Hope that helps!!!